Mayawati slams Akhilesh for ignoring UP assembly speaker

January 07, 2013 10:10 IST

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Sunday lambasted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for ignoring the institution of the Speaker during the on-going 125th anniversary celebrations of the Uttar Pradesh State Legislature.

Mayawati sought to draw Akhilesh's attention to the absence of any mention of the Legislative Assembly speaker or the chairperson of the UP State Legislative Council in a full-page advertisement that appeared in all major newspapers.

President Pranab Mukherjee will be the chief guest at the main anniversary celebration on January 8.

"While I am glad that the state government has decided to observe the completion of 125 years of the UP State Legislature, it is highly regrettable that a full-page advertisement appearing in all major dailies today has completely ignored any mention of the assembly speaker," stated a press release issued on behalf of the BSP chief.

"It appears that the chief minister is trying to only project himself, as the advertisement appears to convey that this is some kind of celebration of the government, when the fact remains that this is a function of the state legislature and not that of the state government," the release sought to point out.

"The manner in which only a select few names are mentioned in the advertisement is highly condemnable," it adds.

Interestingly, besides a picture of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the advertisement also carries a photo of former chief minister Narain Dutt Tiwari.

Even Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav finds mention as the chief guest for an event on January 7, but neither the Legislative Assembly speaker nor the Legislative Council chairperson figure anywhere.